David Warner was the man of the moment in Hyderabad on Sunday. The big-hitting Australian smashed a 126 off just 59 balls to take Sunrisers Hyderabad to a colossal 209/3 in their 20 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders. Hyderabad won the match comfortably by 48 runs and the attention was all on Warner.

“You always feel great when you are out there and able to put the balls away. It helps when you get a chance here and there, but you need luck in this game,” said Warner to VVS Laxman, reported iplt20.com. “I felt great tonight and I have always felt great throughout this tournament.”

Warner also had a special word for his opening partner, Shikhar Dhawan, who watched the carnage from the other end, but ensured that he kept one end up. “Shikhar Dhawan – the role that he played tonight, I had to play that role last game when he was going all guns blazing,” remarked Warner. “Kane Williamson is unbelievable, he just comes and knocks it and gets a 40. It just sums it up for us.”

The Sunrisers captain played some outrageous shots, including the reverse sweep and the switch hit and he pointed out that it was all part of a bigger strategy.

“When you got a quality spin bowling unit bowling against you, you always have to have a gameplan,” said Warner. “I try and take that risk out by backing my strengths. The reverse-sweep is one of my strengths. I thought, tonight I had to have that clear plan while playing and I did. I wanted to try and mix it up by coming down the wicket and putting a bit more pressure on them. I tried to make them bowl faster into the wicket. They bowled faster on a few occasions and didn’t at times. But that is the kind of gameplan you’ve got to have. You have to think on your feet when you have world-class bowlers.”

He also had special praise for Hyderabad’s bowlers and said his franchise allowed their bowlers to take their chances. And of course, current Purple Cap holder Bhuvneshwar Kumar came in for special praise.

“An experienced bowler like Bhuvi is of great help and a sign on immense gratitude towards the younger bowlers,” said Warner. “I can’t fault any of them for the way they have played. Still early days in the tournament but they are doing an extremely good job and I am proud of them.”

Coming back to Warner’s knock, it garnered praise from none other than Virat Kohli on Twitter.

Warner gratefully accepted the compliment.

“Us as international cricketers, we galvanise together in this tournament. Whenever we play international cricket, we know there are boundaries we try not to cross but when we come together in the IPL and step on the field, it is a competitive edge,” he said.

He added, “But we respect each individual. When someone does well, it is not hard to send a congratulations message. We always credit each other. What we are about is entertaining the crowds and the fans. We want everyone to keep turning up and watching this great game of ours. If we can be great ambassadors for that, this game is going to be in good stead for the future.”